Gina Pitts – MSc, BA NpDip, RGN
Meet Gina Pitts, a nurse and editor of nursing magazine HAYDEN, as part of our series “Inspirational You, Awesome Sisters United”.
Driven by her desire to help and support, Gina’s career to date has been varied and highly successful:
- Nurse Practitioner
- Editor of HAYDEN – a trailblazing magazine to unite and support the nursing community
- Founder and CEO of Marvac Health
- Former Lecturer in Practice Nursing at Oxford Brookes University
- Former Health Care Service Manager at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire
- Former Lecturer in Nursing at Barbados Community College
- Former Lecturer on the Role of the Nurse Practitioner in Disaster Management.
- Former Registrar for the Barbados National Registry for Chronic Non-communicable Disease (BNR), the first multi-disease registry in the Caribbean
- Former CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Barbados
- Advisor on the development of the first English National Board Practice Nurse Course
- Advisor on the development of the first ever accredited Paramedic Course in the Caribbean
- Established the “Go Red” campaign in the Caribbean to raise awareness of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in women.
- Community Fundraiser
Find out more about this amazing healthcare professional, her achievements, motivation and plans for the future in her own words.
In my Mother’s Footsteps
It’s a thing we say so easily “Take one day at a time”. But what happens when someone you love deeply is left behind in the previous day… Your world just changes forever. That’s how I felt when I lost my Mum, a witty Caribbean matriarch who loved life to the full.
My mum was a Nurse, a District Nurse Midwife, and a Health Visitor whose laughter could be heard at the end of a corridor. She taught me my mantra:
“Today I am the sum total of all my yesterdays. So add something positive to the pot!”
Her passing was the catalyst for my travels to the Caribbean. I felt I needed to give something back to her homeland and found that I gravitated to the charitable and civil society arena where I could help and support others.
My nurse practitioner training and management skills reaped rewards and placed me at CEO level of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Barbados. I was also actively involved in teaching nursing students, contributing to national research, and developing government policies on the nation’s healthcare.
I found myself organising high-end fundraising events, and even entertaining royalty. I was honoured to receive an award for my services to women and girls. My pot overflowed and I think my Mum would have been proud.
Plans for the Future
HAYDEN magazine & Gina Pitts with IYASU founder Dr Catherine Fernando
Now back in the UK, with all the flux of post-pandemic change, my work has guided me to support my peers on a positive journey. I have designed and created HAYDEN, a wellbeing magazine for nurses and midwives.
Although times are challenging and it is sad to see the healthcare profession struggling to decipher ways to meet the needs of caregivers and patients, I find comfort in the words of another strong matriarchal figure in my life.
My grandmother always told me:
“In chaos there is always opportunity!”
This has helped me embrace the uncertainty of every day.
So now, as I enter the magazine publishing arena, every day is different. But my ability to bring all the past skills I have learnt is a great blessing. Meeting lovely people like Catherine from IYASU and going to new places has given me the opportunity to not only take one day at a time, but really look forward to the next one.
Want to find out more? Register your interest in the HAYDEN magazine.
